Director of Experiential Education

Director of Experiential Education

Crystal Upper School – Hillsborough, CA

Position Type
Full-Time

Education Level
4 Year Degree

Salary Range
$85,000.00 – $125,000.00 Salary/year

Description
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Crystal Springs Uplands School is a 6-12 co-educational, independent day school located on two distinct campuses in Hillsborough and Belmont, CA with 125 employees. Our deeply connected culture and community celebrates scholarship, strives for balance, and fosters inclusion. The Professional Adult Community (PAC) is an experienced, collaborative group of employees who are committed to the mission and core values of the school. Crystal is full of kind, curious learners (adults and students alike) who are passionate about the school’s mission of transformative teaching and meaningful connections. We are committed to the work required to create more equitable systems and foster inclusive environments so that all members of our community can thrive together.

MISSION STATEMENT

Through transformative teaching and meaningful connections, we empower kind, curious learners to thrive together.

CORE VALUES

We Celebrate Scholarship – The foundation of Crystal is academic excellence.

We Seek Growth Challenges – Our culture says try it.

We Foster Kindness & Inclusion – Crystal is a caring and diverse community.

We Strive for Balance – A holistic approach to well-being is integral to our mission.

We Engage with Enthusiasm – With unbounded spirit, we give our best effort every day and pay it forward to our community.

We Lead with Humility – Being grateful and open-minded, we pursue lifelong learning.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in dynamic settings serving multiple constituents. A successful candidate in this position will:

Share a commitment to upholding Crystal’s core values and working in an inclusive school environment

Work collaboratively with colleagues and engage effectively with all constituents

Bring robust organizational, technological, and communication skills

Job Summary

The Director of Experiential Education (DoEE) is responsible for the strategic design as well as logistical operations for Crystal’s 6-12 experiential education program, including international/domestic trips, community engagement, internships, capstone projects, and study away/exchange programs. The DoEE will strategically cultivate long-term relationships and strengthen communication between students, Professional Adult Community (PAC) members, families, alumni, employers, and community partners to create and develop meaningful experiential learning opportunities for Crystal students.

Key Job Competencies

Cultural Competence: Possesses and applies the skills, values, and principles that acknowledge, respect, contribute, and work effectively across cultural differences. Recognizes the unique value, perspectives, strengths, and challenges of every person who comes to the Crystal community.

Project Management: Ability to lead and execute complex projects to achieve goal attainment by prioritizing activities, assigning responsibilities in accordance with capabilities, monitoring progress, and evaluating impact.

Relationship Management: Positively collaborates and builds/maintains authentic and trusting relationships. Demonstrates high levels of discretion and confidentiality.

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Analyzes and integrates trends and patterns based on diverse information and perspectives to determine the root causes of problems, identify the best course of action, and prioritize efforts. Develops new insights and formulates creative solutions, considering the impact and implications of recommendations in the context of overall vision, goals, and objectives.

Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate thoughts and express ideas effectively using oral, written, visual, and non-verbal communication skills, as well as deep listening skills to gain understanding.

Quality Results: Ensures high quality results on projects/tasks, meets deadlines, and attends to details. Takes responsibility for the quality of work and achieves results with little oversight.

Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates high levels of self/social awareness, self-management, empathy, and curiosity.

Personal Growth: Demonstrates commitment and curiosity to ongoing learning and development.

Qualifications
Essential Functions

6-12 Programmatic Leadership

The DoEE is tasked with the responsibility of developing a long term vision for Crystal’s Experiential Education program. As such, the DoEE will have the opportunity to:

Build consensus among a wide range of community stakeholders about the school’s philosophy and mission regarding experiential education programming

Work to align the philosophy and/or structure of experiential education by developing a common framework, scope and sequence, and/or thematic structure

Provide strategic leadership through professional development and by remaining connected to current best practices and trends in research

Collaborate with the Directors of Teaching and Learning, Department Chairs, and Directors of Student Equity and Engagement to determine opportunities for curricular and co-curricular experiential education integration

Host speakers and outside educational consultants to bolster and support Experiential Education initiatives and institutional goals

Ensure vision and programmatic alignment with the Divisional Heads, Associate Head for Institutional Programs and Initiatives, and Head of School

Domestic and International Trips

The DoEE is responsible for the planning, coordination, and operation for all 6-12 domestic and international trips, which includes:

Collaborating with Head of Middle School, MS Director of Student Equity and Engagement, and 8th Grade Team to identify destination and goals for 8th grade domestic trips to be conducted every year

Collaborating with the Head of Upper School, US Director of Student Equity and Engagement, and Upper School teachers to identify destinations and goals for approximately 3-5 curricular and co-curricular global trips during spring break and summer breaks of each school year

Working with trip vendors, local organizations, and community partners to plan trip itineraries and develop programming that reflects institutional and curricular goals

Managing all trip logistics including travel plans, accommodation, insurance, communication, and risk management

Recruiting, training, and supporting all trip chaperones and support staff

Organizing and executing all pre-trip communication, training, and programming for students and families

Managing Trips budget

Community Engagement

The DoEE is responsible for 6-12 community engagement programming, which includes:

Collaborating with the US/MS Directors of Student Equity and Engagement, Grade Level/Team Leaders, and Advisors to design, implement, and evaluate Crystal’s 6-12 community engagement programming

Managing all off-campus community engagement programming logistics (including working with the Director of Operations on schedules, transportation, food etc.) as well as adjacent on-campus programmatic preparation and debrief activities

Collaborating with the aforementioned teams as well as classroom teachers and advisors to identify and develop opportunities for purposeful integration of classroom content, program objectives, and community engagement experiences

Training and supporting the professional development of community engagement chaperones and program facilitators

Developing and sustaining authentic partnerships with local community organizations

Collaborating with the MS/US Directors of Student Equity and Engagement and Associate Director of Development to support student government, student clubs and Crystal Family Association (CFA) representatives in the planning and execution of extracurricular community engagement events that align with institutional program and priorities

Managing 6-12 Community Engagement budget

Internships

The DoEE is responsible for overseeing the Upper School internship program, which includes:

Working with the Alumni Engagement Coordinator, the Associate Director of Development, and community partners to source potential internship opportunities for our students

Creating and maintaining a system to post internship opportunities to students

Creating programming to help students during the internship interview and selection process

Following up with student interns and organizations offering internships

Capstone Projects

The DoEE is responsible for overseeing Capstone Projects, which includes:

Senior Projects: Leading the programming related to Senior Projects including:

Preparing Senior Project proposal guidelines, forms and rubrics

(if applicable) Preparing and possibly teaching Senior Project Course lessons

Providing feedback to students on journal assignments and project progress

Providing mentor training and coordination of project proposal reviews

Tracking student progress (including sending Progress Reports) and coordinating additional support (such as the Student Support Team, advisors, etc.)

(if applicable) Visiting off-campus work sites for internships and community work or fieldwork

Coordinating the master schedule for the Final Presentations on the last week of school

Managing Senior Project budget

Other potential capstone projects as directed by the Associate Head for Institutional Programs and Initiatives

Study Away and Exchange Programs

The DoEE is the outward-facing Crystal representative for all study away opportunities. These responsibilities include:

Communicating and interfacing with domestic and international study away organizations (including our own school partnerships and exchanges)

creating and maintaining relationships with partner organizations

coordinating presentations, tables during lunch, etc. from organizations interested in offering international study away opportunities to Crystal students

collecting up-to-date information from these organizations (especially academic requirements if it is a new program whose curriculum needs to be vetted with Department Chairs)

keeping track of all “vetted” international and domestic study away programs

keeping a list of Crystal students who have studied away

The DoEE is the point-person for monitoring the students’ and parents’ experiences before, during and after the study away engagement. These responsibilities include:

getting periodic updates from the student and his/her family and passing along any relevant information to the key stakeholders at Crystal

debriefing the study away experience when the student returns to Crystal and helping that student to figure out the best way to share their experience with the Crystal community

The DoEE is the PAC “champion” of study away opportunities:

being proactive in connecting interested students with the right opportunities

when appropriate, coordinating a “study away” panel (involving Crystal students who have completed a study away experience) for students who are interested in learning more about study away opportunities

Travel Required

Light travel between the Middle School and Upper School campuses, as needed.

Must be able to accompany students and chaperones on domestic and international travel

Other Duties

Serving as an advisor of 8-12 students, committed to their social and emotional development

Attending the start of year retreat; this is an overnight retreat for students by grade level

Attending New PAC orientation and PAC Week prior to the start of school for students, as well as participating in other mandatory school events

Supporting with student-facing supervision or co-curricular opportunities as needed

Engaging in professional development and is committed to furthering 6-12 alignment across the department

Bringing unique skills to contribute to our multifaceted community

Reporting out to Board of Trustee’s Risk Management and Audit Committee as needed

Assisting the Senior Leadership Team as needed

Required Education, Certifications, Work-Related Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

3+ years of teaching and/or educational program management experience

Experience working in dynamic settings serving multiple constituents

Strong technology skills with Google Workspace and Microsoft Suite

Preferred Education and Experience

Master’s degree

Experience in independent schools

Demonstrated leadership and experience in experiential education

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

Able to work in a dynamic environment dealing with a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a varied and diverse array of contacts

Able to lift up to 20 pounds and climb stairs

May work at a desk and computer for extended periods

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Crystal Springs Uplands School provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Other Professional Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties as assigned to the Essential Functions, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full time position (40 hours/week), exempt, career position, and eligible for 12-month employee benefits. This position is an exempt, monthly paid position. The annual salary is commensurate with experience within the range of $85,000 – $125,000. First consideration will be given to individuals that apply between August 30, 2024 through September 12, 2024. Second consideration will be given to individuals that apply between September 13, 2024 through September 24, 2024. The ideal start date for this position is October 16, 2024.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the Institution, please reach out to Human Resources.